Lock for automobiles.



I. M. WOODS.

\ LUCK FOR AUTOMOBILES.

Armlcmou mm mm. a. 19:2.

Patented J uly 2, 1918.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH M. WOODS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE IMPERIAL BRASSMANU- FACTURING COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OFILLINOIS.

LOCK FOB AUTOMOBILES.

m t Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 2, 1918.

Application filed March 8, 1917. Serial No. 153,272.

To all whom it may Concern.

Be it known that I, Josnmi M. Woons, a citizen of the United. States,residing at. (hit-ago. in the county of ook and State of Illinois, hawinvented certain new and use ful Improvements in Locks for .Automobiles.of which the following is the specification.

This invention relates to locking devices for automobiles. andparticularly to a lock ing devil-e adapted to control the fuel supitllyto the automobile.

It is an object of the intention to provide a locking device forautomobiles which will absolutely prevent. the flow of any fuel to the:arbureter when in locked position, which may be placed at any point inthe fuel supply line, and which will act, autoumtieally it tampered withto cut otl' the fuel supply.

Other objects and "drum-ages of the invention will appear as thedescription to follow proceeds.

In the drawings Figure 1 is an elevation partly in cross section of anautomobile equipped with my invention;

Fig. 3 is an elevation of the lock con-- trolled 1.:0rtion of theinvention, in cross section Fig. -l is a ross sectional elevation of thevalve in the fuel supply;

Fig. 4' i4 :1 cross se tional View on line 4---4 of Pig. 2.

Fig. 5 in a top plan view in cross section on the line 5--5 of Fig. 2.

In the drawings. 1 represents in general the body of an automobileprovided rilh a Tool supi'ily tank 2, from which the .--.u 'iply pipe 3lead to the carhureter 4.. lnserted in tin t'uel .supplv pipe 23 is acasting 13 ha ion; a paw-sage il then-through terminating preferably inconimlly tapering seat with which he t'llllri ol' the interrupted pipewhich are provided with double conical shoulders co perate. and whichare serin il in place liquid tight by threaded Jullill: s. The castinglllt 'llliltki an upstan ing externa ly threaded casing l) integrallyformed iherewitl'i. which at its center is prui-Jed niih a ryliniilriealbore extending: downward y through the passage if? and in which o'erates th rain: 1 adapted when in lowered position, as showi'i in in.to

prevent. the How of fuel through the pas- 1G. The internally threadedcap11 is screwed on the cosine. 9, and clamped between them is the edge ofthe circular leather washer l1 fastened to the threaded shank of thevalve 10 by nuts 11*. This prevents the leakage of gnsolene. A coilspring 13 bears at one end upon the under surface of the top of the cap11 and at its other end upon the upper one of the nuts 11 tending toforce this valve. into its fuel interrupting position. A pipe 15, whichmay if desired be a. flexible, helically coiled armored pipe such as iscommon and well known, but which is shown as an ordinary brass pipe, isfirmly secured, as by solder, to the top of the cap 11 and extendstherefrom into the casing 16 secured to the dash. A flexible connector17 extends from the Valve 10 through the pipe 15 into the casing 16. Inthe casing 16 is located the lock, which is preferably a key-controlledtumbler look from which the bolt has been removed and in which a collar18 is loosely mounted upon the rotary shank and equipped with aprojecting lug, or shoulder 19 which extends into the path of the lug 20upon the key-rotated element 21 of the lock, which in the ordinary lockconstruction operates the bolt. The flexible connector 17 is connectedto the hip 19 so that when the lock is turned into one of its two lockedpositions, one of the shoulders of the lug 20 will have inn-- pingedbehind the lug 19, pulling" this lag in a clockwise direction viewed inFig. 2 to pull up the flexible connector 17 and open the fuel passage16".

It is to be noted particularly that inasmuch as the valve normally cutsoil the fuel supply which the lock holds open, cutting ed the pipe 15would cut the connector 17 therein and serve to lock the automobile. Thenatural resilience of the connector 17 and he action of the spring 13serve, if it he cut with the pipe .15, to draw the lower end of theconnector 17 as much as six inches down the pipe.

A combination lock might be substituted for the key lock disclosed, butI prefer the key loek as simpler and quicker in operation.

it is an important feature of the invenlion that the lockimc devicewhich I have shown upon the dashboard of the automobile neeil not beplaced there but. may 0b- \iousll he placed underneath the seat, or inany iimeeessible point desired by the owner nected to the cutoff valveby a flexib e connector which may be incased as above described in ahelical pipe or other suitable protection so that the lock may be placedanywhere desired quite independent of the position of the cutoff valvein the fuel supply pipe, and similarly, of course, the cutoff in thefuel supply pipe may be placed at any desired point.

The lock casing is made up of a base plate 30 screwed to the dash andprovided with a ertures, in which are inserted the inward y projectingcurved hinge lugs 31 of.

the casing 16, which is hinged thus at one side and fastened by screws32 at the other. On the inside of the casing 16 is a lug 33, riveted.thereto, and formin a slot or seat 3% and integrally formed with theblock 19 is an arm 35 which fits in said slot when the gasolene supplyis shut elf. By this means it is rendered impossible to remove the lockcasing when the car is locked, while the atpiargiment thereof to thedashboard is simpli- While I have shown and described my invention asembodied in the form which I at present consider best adapted to carryout its purposes, it will be understood that it is capable of somemodification, and 1 do not desire to be limited in the interpretation ofthe following claims except as may be necessitated by the state of theprior art.

Having now described my invention, I claim:

1. A locking device for automobiles, comprising a casing having a passaadapted to be inserted in a fuel line supp y, a valve adapted to move toopen and c ose said passage, a flexible connector connected at one endwith said valve and at its opposite end with a lock, mounted in aconvenient place on the automobile, a flexible diaphragm eonnected tosaid valve and so arranged as to permit the movement of said valve toopen and close said passage, and a compression spring on the upper sideof said diaphragm for automatica ly returning the valve to closedposition when the connector is per mitted to move.

2. A locking device for automobiles, comrising ,a casing rovided with apassage to be inserted in a uel line supply, a valve in said casingadapted to move to open and close said passage, a leather diaphragm insaid casing connected to and adapted to move withsaid valve 'andsoarranged as to v permit the valve to move to open and close the passage,means for withdrawing said valve from said passage, a lock connectedwith said means, and a spring between said diaphragm and casing forautomatically returning said valve to closed position when it isreleased.

3. A locking device for automobiles, comprising a casing provided with apassage adapted to lie-inserted in'a fuel supply line, v

closed position when said connector permits its movement.

4. A locking device for automobiles, comprising a casing provided with apassage adapted to be inserted in a fuel line supply, a valve in saidcasing adapted to move to open and close said passage,'a diaphragmwithin said casing, a flexible connector'com nected at one end with saidvalve and at the other end with a lock conveniently mounted on theautomobile, and means in said casing for automatically returning saidvalve to its closed position when said connector permits its movement.

5. A locking device for automobiles comprising a casing having a passa eadapted to be inserted in a. fuel line supp y, a valve arranged to movetherein to open and close said assage,'a valve stem extending upward yfrom said valve, a flexible connector connected at one end with saidvalve stem and at its opposite end with a look mounted in convenientposition on the automobile, a chamber in said casing, a flexiblediaphragm in said chamber and arranged to permit the movement ofisaidvalve relative to said sage, a nut on said stem on eao side 0,

diaphragm to secure said diaphragm to said stem, and a compressionspring engaging the roof of said chambenand pressing down on the uppernut automatically to return said valve to closed position when theconnector is released.

In witness whereof I hereunto subscribe m name to this specification inthe presence

